STATES CALLED UPON TO PROVIDE DEMINING ASSISTANCE BY TEXT INTRODUCED IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Press Release
GA/9385

STATES CALLED UPON TO PROVIDE DEMINING ASSISTANCE BY TEXT INTRODUCED IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Assembly Begins Debate on Mine Clearance; Speakers Stress Humanitarian Crisis Not Ended by Ottawa Convention

Member States would be called upon to provide the necessary information and assistance to locate, remove, destroy or otherwise render ineffective minefields, mines, booby-traps and other devices as soon as possible, under the terms of a draft resolution introduced this morning in the General Assembly.

Introduced by the representative of Luxembourg, on behalf of the European Union and associated States, the text would also have the Assembly urge Member States to provide the Secretary-General with information that could be useful in strengthening the coordination role of the United Nations in, among other areas, mine awareness, training, surveying and mine detection and clearance.

Opening the Assembly's debate on mine clearance this morning, Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine) said that for every mine cleared throughout the world, 20 more were laid and they were a serious impediment to countries undergoing post-conflict reconstruction. He stressed the importance of the Assembly's debate and expressed the hope that it would help further the international community's fight to combat the problem.

The representative of Canada said the humanitarian crisis of landmines did not end with the signing in Ottawa of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. Coordination and cooperation in managing the mine-action agenda was needed and the United Nations must play the central role. Funding must be sustained over years, even when demining and victim assistance attracted less attention than they did today.

The United States representative said his country, a leader in the fight against landmines, had taken concrete steps to eliminate them and supported a renewed international commitment to rid the world of them. Although the United States was not able to sign the Ottawa treaty because of current

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commitments to protecting the sovereignty of other nations, its commitment to humanitarian demining was unwavering.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Japan, Norway, Egypt, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Mozambique, Argentina, Libya, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Thailand, Iran, Colombia, Russian Federation and Pakistan.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday, 18 December, to resume consideration of mine clearance, take action on the related resolution and take action on draft resolutions on Haiti and Central America. It is also expected to take up certain reports of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to consider assistance in mine clearance. It had before it a Secretary-General's report and a draft resolution.

The present report (document A/52/679) was submitted pursuant to Assembly resolution 51/149, which asked the Secretary-General to report on progress achieved on all relevant issues on assistance in mine clearance and on the operation of the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance, which was established by the Secretary-General in November 1994 to support landmine-related activities. During 1996 and 1997, the report states, there was an increase in the number of mine-action programmes in place and their scope. Meanwhile, mine action, which has come to mean more than mine clearance, has also come to encompass mine awareness, victim assistance and globally effective advocacy.

The report provides information on the activities of various United Nations organizations, other bodies and non-governmental organizations involved in mine-action activities. Coordination within the United Nations system had improved, and cooperation with willing partners from outside the Organization has been enhanced through a policy that envisioned a role for each party, but that was carried out in a coordinated fashion, the report states. It also reports on ongoing mine-action programmes in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia (particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, including Eastern Slavonia), the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Mozambique. It also addresses the functioning of the Voluntary Trust Fund. Annexed to the report is a list of funds received and pledged as of 1 November, which totals $41.6 million.

In response to various requests made by the Assembly in its resolution 51/149, the responsible entities of the United Nations have continued and enhanced their humanitarian work in the area of landmine assistance, the report says. The response to those requests are described in the report, particularly those of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The focal point for mine action has been moved to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. In carrying out its mission, the Department will ensure that the blending of a humanitarian demining culture with that required for peacekeeping will have a synergetic, enhancing effect on the conduct of mine-action activities within the United Nations system, the report states.

The report also discusses new country programmes and assessment missions, including those in Iraq, Georgia, Guatemala, Tajikistan, Somalia and the Sudan. Also included in the report are sections on: resources for mine- clearance activities; advocating a lasting solution to a ban on landmines; and promoting greater public suppport. Although advocacy had been successful

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enough so that a global ban on anti-personnel landmines seemed well within reach, there was more to be done, both within the United Nations system and in the international community at large, the report states.

By the terms of the draft resolution (document A/52/L.69) the Assembly would call on Member States to provide the necessary information and technical and material assistance to locate, remove, destroy or otherwise render ineffective minefields, mines, booby-traps and other devices in accordance with international law, as soon as possible.

It would urge Member States, regional organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations and foundations to continue to provide the Secretary-General with information, data and resources that could be useful in strengthening the coordination role of the United Nations in the field of mine awareness, training, surveying, mine detection and clearance, scientific research on mine-detection and clearance technology, and information on and distribution of medical equipment and supplies.

Further, the Assembly would urge Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and foundations to provide technological assistance to mine-inflicted countries and to promote scientific research and development on humanitarian mine-clearance techniques and technology, so that mine-clearance activities could be carried out more effectively.

The Assembly would also invite Member States to develop national programmes to promote awareness of landmines, especially among children. It would also request the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly, at its fifty-third session, a report on the progress achieved on all relevant issues outlined in his previous reports to the Assembly on assistance in mine clearance and in the present resolution, and on the operation of the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance and other demining programmes.

The sponsors of the draft are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Togo, United Kingdom and the United States.

Statements

HENNADIY UDOVENKO (Ukraine), President of the General Assembly, said that the issue of mine clearance was of great importance to the United Nations. The Secretary-General's report gave a sense of the magnitude of the problem. For every mine cleared, 20 more were laid. The problem posed a serious impediment to those countries undergoing reconstruction after the cessation of conflicts. He associated himself with the views outlined in the

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Secretary-General's report and hoped that today's discussion would contribute to the international community's fight to combat the problem.

JEAN-LOUIS WOLZFELD (Luxembourg), speaking on behalf of the European Union, introduced the draft resolution on assistance in mine clearance (document A/52/L.69). He said that Armenia, Andorra, Angola, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Uruguay had joined the list of co-sponsors.

He then made a statement on behalf of the European Union, and the associated central and eastern European States of Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, as well as Cyprus, Iceland and Liechenstein. He said it was particularly important that countries benefiting from assistance in mine clearance pledge themselves to relinquish the use of anti-personnel landmines. The extent to which the United Nations should be called on to provide assistance must take into account the capacity of the parties involved to take on that obligation themselves.

He emphasized the role of the United Nations Secretariat in defining policies and priorities and the operational and coordination aspects of mine clearance. The success of United Nations efforts depended largely on sufficient coordination to ensure a coherent approach to mine-clearance activities and the effective use of resources. In that regard, he welcomed the designation of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations as the focal point for mine-clearance activities within the United Nations system.

The humanitarian aspect of mine-clearance activities remained important and could be further strengthened, he added. In that context, coordination with non-governmental organizations, which were playing an increasingly important role in mine clearance, was also essential. It was also important that affected countries themselves follow a coordinated and coherent approach to mine-clearance programmes.

In November, the Union adopted a joint action regarding anti-personnel landmines in which it expressed its resolve to totally eliminate anti- personnel landmines and work towards the early conclusion of an effective international agreement banning those arms throughout the world, he said. The Union welcomed the adoption in Oslo, on 18 September, of the Convention on the Banning of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and the follow-up activity to the conference in Ottawa, where the Convention was opened for signature. Further, the Union formed the largest contributor to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Mine Clearance, providing 64 per cent of total contributions.

Given the large number of anti-personnel mines laid throughout the world, the problem could not be solved without the development and use of new specialized equipment, which would considerably enhance mine-clearance technology, he said. The Union attached great importance to the development

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and use of appropriate technologies for mine detection and clearance. It was strongly committed to eliminating anti-personnel landmines through a global ban and to supporting efforts aimed at mitigating the effects of those mines, raising awareness and rehabilitating victims.

ROBERT R. FOWLER (Canada) said the humanitarian crisis of landmines did not end with the signing in Ottawa of the treaty to ban them. His Government funded mine clearance and awareness and provided training in mine clearance. It had also recently pledged $100 million to implement the global ban on anti- personnel mines and assist countries without the means to implement their commitments under the Convention. The funds would be used for humanitarian assistance for landmine victims, mine clearance and elimination of stockpiles. Norway, Austria, Belgium and South Africa had been major partners in the Ottawa process and Norway, the United States and Japan had made large financial contributions.

In early December, he continued, Canada hosted a Mine Action Forum. Among the issues discussed were: the ratification, implementation and broadening of support for the treaty; mine-clearance technology; the establishment of mine-action centres; and the treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims. Also, the following conclusions were reached: the international community could and would do more; there was a clear need for coordination and cooperation in managing the mine-action agenda; and the United Nations must play the central role in that coordination process. His Government had called for a meeting in March with the aim of assisting in establishing a framework.

Another conclusion was that mine surveying, mine clearance and victim assistance programmes must be country-specific, he continued. The United Nations had sought to identify the lessons of mine-action programmes and provided support for them. Such programmes must be developed in consultation with donors and authorities in the field and must have sound management and sufficient resources for long-term planning and implementation. Funding must be sustained over years, even when the issues of demining and victim assistance were attracting less attention than at present. Further, affected States were primarily responsible for mine action. International assistance would be worthless without closer cooperation from authorities in the affected countries. Finally, any approach focusing only on technical issues, mine surveying, detection and clearance risked losing sight of the people involved. The main goals were to protect the people living with landmines and to help survivors, their families and their communities.

HISASHI OWADA (Japan) said earlier this month in Ottawa, Japan was one of the more than 120 countries that signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. In the area of mine-clearance activities, the importance of partnership and better coordination among United Nations agencies and other relevant bodies and entities could not be overstated.

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Consideration must be given to taking an integrated approach towards the reconstruction process.

While international efforts needed to be further strengthened, mine- infested countries must make demining activities an integral part of their national rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes for success to be achieved in removing more than 100 million landmines planted all over the world. Cambodia was a successful example of such an endeavour. It was also imperative to curb the ongoing export of anti-personnel mines into areas of conflict. The present situation, in which landmines were made available at $3 a mine, while it cost the international community from $300 to $1,000 to remove it, should not be tolerated.

In line with the new organizational reform within the United Nations, he hoped that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations would take into consideration the humanitarian aspects and the developmental vision of demining in discharging its responsibility. The development of usable and cost-effective technologies for mine detection and mine clearance was critical. Participants at the conference on anti-personnel landmines held in Tokyo in March recognized the value of a "two-track" approach: in the short-term, the most appropriate methods could be combined in a manner responsive to the particular conditions in each mined area; in the middle and long term, new technology should be developed to expedite mine-clearance activities and increase their effectiveness.

The medical, economic and social suffering visited upon those whose lives had been affected by landmines required wider recognition and increased assistance and must be addressed as a matter of great urgency, he continued. The international community should join hands in helping mine-infested countries develop the national capacity to manage and execute comprehensive programmes. To date, his Government had contributed close to $35 million to the mine-clearance activities of the United Nations and other organizations. It recently announced that it would be providing assistance amounting to approximately $80 million over the next five years in order to intensify efforts in those areas. He hoped that the draft resolution would be adopted without a vote.

HANS JAKKEN BIORN LIAN (Norway) said there were financial and technical limits to what could be achieved in mine clearance. Thus, the most effective measure would be a comprehensive ban. Mounting international pressure gave momentum to the Ottawa process, with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines playing a major role, and that process was the best way to achieve a ban. The Convention to ban landmines recognized the need for special attention to victims of landmines and would be an instrument to mobilize and allocate resources to that end. The first phase of the Ottawa process had been concluded. The second phase must make the Convention universal and implement its humanitarian goals.

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Since 1994, Norway's assistance for mine-related activities had amounted to approximately $38 million, he said. In 1996 Norway spent more than $14 million on mine-related activities, including clearance, training of local personnel, mine awareness and victim assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mozambique, Angola, Afghanistan, Cambodia, northern Iraq and Croatia. Most of the assistance had been channelled through the United Nations and non- governmental organizations. His Government was prepared to allocate another $100 million over the next five years to mine clearance and victim assistance and to contribute expert personnel, assist on missions and provide personnel and resources to initiate United Nations mine clearance and awareness programmes.

BILL RICHARDSON (United States) said the issue of landmines, hidden killers which undermined the rebuilding of society, economic development and the return of refugees, was of profound importance to the United States and the international community. His country remained a leader in the fight against landmines and had taken concrete steps to eliminate those deadly weapons and support a renewed international commitment to rid the world of them. Although the United States was not able to sign the Ottawa treaty because of current commitments to protect the sovereignty of other nations, its commitment to humanitarian demining was unwavering.

In October, the United States Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense announced a new initiative to ensure that civilians in every country were secure from the threat of landmines by the end of the next decade, he said. That meant not only initiating and continuing global humanitarian demining efforts, but also accelerating and expanding those efforts with the goal of completing and finishing the process by the year 2010. The Demining 2010 Initiative, through American and international leadership, would seek to coordinate those efforts by bringing together donors, demining experts, and national mine-action centres to substantially expand actual demining operations and related programmes.

The United States had consistently supported the demining efforts of the United Nations and was grateful that the Organization had stepped up efforts to conduct humanitarian demining operations in areas where a traditional bilateral programme was not possible, he said. It was time for international organizations, landmine-affected countries and donor countries to dedicate themselves to finishing the process of demining. His country looked forward to continuing the process begun in Ottawa when it hosts the Global Demining 2010 Conference in Washington, D.C. in May 1998.

NABIL ELARABY (Egypt) said that Egypt and other developing countries firmly believed that the enormous financial and technical burdens associated with mine clearance should not be shouldered by the affected States alone. Special attention should be given to the affected developing countries in the planning and execution of United Nations and other activities and resources in that regard.

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He said that sincere efforts had been made to address the mines issue, most notably by the Ottawa process. The Convention resulting from that process had not, however, defined the legal responsibility of the States that had laid those landmines in the territories of other States. That had prompted the latest Organization of African Unity (OAU) Summit in Harare last June to adopt a resolution dealing with the question of responsibility.

The continued existence of more than 22 million landmines scattered over 288,000 acres of Egyptian territory caused serious concern to the Government of Egypt, he said. The overwhelming majority of those landmines had been laid during the period of the famous battle of El-Alamein during the Second World War. Egyptian concern was compounded by the fact that, so far, the assistance received by Egypt and other States in the same predicament was not adequate to address the enormous task.

Within existing means and resources, he continued, the Egyptian authorities had started an ambitious plan to clear their territories of all landmines planted in the course of and since the Second World War. Egypt had cleared 11 million landmines between 1981 and 1991 and had started a new plan in July 1991, with a view to clearing the remaining landmines by the year 2006. Implementing that plan would pose enormous financial and technical burdens, which the Egyptian Government could not carry alone.

He stressed the urgent need for those States who had planted the landmines on Egyptian territory to present accurate registration or accurate maps indicating their exact location. In addition, he noted the increased cost of mine clearance, in view of the fact that a large number were buried under thick layers of sand to a depth of six metres. The existence of those mines stood in the way of efforts to utilize the natural resources of those areas and obstructed all development efforts in the western deserts and Sinai.

Contrary to the view of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, mine clearance was not the sole responsibility of the affected State, he said. It should be regarded as the responsibility of the international community, and particularly those States which had masterminded their emplacement. He hoped that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, as the new focal point for mine action, would bear that in mind and redress that notion.

ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People's Democratic Republic) said his country had experienced a protracted war and suffered, from 1964 to 1973, some of the heaviest aerial bombardment in world history. During the bombing, 2 million tons of explosives were dropped. In 1995, his Government, together with the UNDP and UNICEF, established a Trust Fund for unexploded devices. A national programme was also initiated to deal with unexploded devices, and coordinate clearance, surveying, training and community awareness programmes.

He said that clearance operations were under way in three provinces, with more than 270 field staff. Thousands of devices had been removed, and

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some 100 hectares of high-priority land had been cleared. In addition, awareness campaigns were launched in the districts of Nong Head, Kham, Paek, Khoune and Phou Koud, where unexploded devices still posed a serious threat. A variety of techniques was used in those campaigns, including television and radio broadcasts, presentations to schools and widespread distribution of posters and T-shirts. Much remained to be done, however, including the training of an additional 250 deminers, the staffing of offices in 12 affected provinces and the establishment of offices in four other affected provinces. Such activities required the continued contributions of friendly countries and international organizations to the Trust Fund.

ENRIQUE PAGUAGA FERNANDEZ (Nicaragua), speaking also on behalf of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, said most victims of landmines were children. During two recent weeks, landmines maimed eight children in Nicaragua and such incidents were taking place throughout Central America, including in border areas of countries where armed conflict had not taken place. The cruelty of those weapons was overwhelming, leading to thousands of deaths and injuries annually all over the world. It was a war in time of peace, which respected no peace agreements or ceasefires.

He said the economic consequences were serious and long-lasting, hampering the return of refugees and displaced persons and leaving vast areas of fertile land uncultivated. Landmines were laid in a few hours, but their removal took many years at a huge financial cost, draining away money that could be used for development. One landmine cost less than $3 to manufacture, while its removal cost more than $1,000. The international community undertook cooperative efforts to clear mines because affected countries could not solve the problem alone. The Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union, the United Nations and donor countries financed and designed mine-clearance programmes, but much remained to be done.

The mine-clearance programme in Nicaragua reflected the process of reconciliation there, he said. Cooperation among former antagonists allowing the use of fertile land for agriculture contributed to the national reconciliation process. Some 85,000 mines remained to be cleared in Nicaragua, where the army had set up a demining programme with international funding. Nicaragua had also implemented a public awareness campaign financed by Germany, Denmark, the OAS and the European Union intended primarily for rural sectors.

In El Salvador, with help from the international community and cooperation between former antagonists, mine clearance and awareness programmes had been set up, he continued. Armed conflict in El Salvador and Nicaragua had led to the laying of 30,000 mines in Honduras, which remained uncleared and where international mine-clearance assistance would be greatly appreciated. In Costa Rica, for the same reason, 5,000 landmines remained along border areas that were difficult to reach. His Government enthusiastically welcomed the signing of the Convention to ban those deadly

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weapons and hoped countries that had not signed it would do so. Nicaragua was also pleased that mine clearance was a priority in the Convention.

ZAMIRA ESHMAMBETOVA (Kyrgyzstan), Vice-President of the General Assembly, announced the work programme for the plenary meeting tomorrow morning. In addition to what had been announced in today's Journal, the Assembly would take up agenda item 16(b) on the election of seven members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC). Under agenda item 44, on the situation of democracy and human rights in Haiti, the Assembly would take action on draft resolution A/52/L.65.

He said that under agenda item 45, on the situation in Central America, the Assembly would take action on draft resolutions A/52/L.19/Rev.1 and A/52/L.31. The Assembly would also take up the reports of the Fifth Committee on: agenda item 17(e), appointment of members of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal; agenda item 138, financing of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and agenda item 142(a), financing of United Nations peacekeeping operations.

GUALBERTO RODRIGUEZ SAN MARTIN (Bolivia) said the international community had shown awareness and determination in joining efforts to reach a world agreement on landmines this year. The decisive event was the signing of the Convention in Ottawa. To date, 122 States had signed the treaty. The Convention was the result of efforts by governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society to crystallize a common aspiration of humanity -- to contribute to the removal of those insidious arms from the face of the earth. He urged signatories to speed their ratification procedures, so that the Convention could enter into force.

He said the Convention was also an instrument that would help to build trust in the facilitation and consolidation of peace. By removing mines and assuring their destruction, harmonic coexistence among people would be established, which would facilitate reintegration. It also established a legal framework that would help the United Nations mine-clearance programme. The 100 million mines laid throughout the world claimed 26,000 victims each year. He welcomed the commitment and assistance of Member States to strengthen the Organization's demining programme, which was an invaluable tool in economic, human and technical development. The major contributions for demining should come from the countries who were the major producers and exporters of mines, he said.

CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique) said his country was proud to contribute to the milestone event at Ottawa and to be one of the first to sign the treaty. It was only the beginning of the hard work ahead, which would ensure a universal ban of landmines. In February, during the fourth Non-Governmental Organizations International Conference on Landmines in Maputo, his Government approved a resolution prohibiting, with immediate effect, the production, commercialization, utilization and non-authorized transportation of anti- personnel landmines on its territory. The international community had an obligation to ensure, within a foreseeable time-frame, that no one else was killed or maimed by landmines.

International assistance and cooperation was essential for the implementation process, especially in assisting mine-affected countries in

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developing national programmes, he said. The international community had to ensure that all those who still doubted the horrible humanitarian consequences of landmines were persuaded to sign the Convention and make it a universal instrument. The international community must also guarantee that the provisions of the Convention were fully and unconditionally implemented by all countries, including those hesitant to join the Convention. Only the eradication of the prevailing threat of anti-personnel mines could enable countries like his own to effectively address national development, particularly in rural areas.

The accelerated demining programme under way in Mozambique, with assistance from the international community, constituted an important contribution towards attaining those objectives, he said. The programme aimed at developing and further strengthening mine-clearance capacity, including acquisition and utilization of new demining technologies, creation of a data bank and training of Mozambican citizens. Also, discussions were under way to create a national non-governmental organization devoted to the issue, with the necessary transparency, accountability and operational efficiency to attract the necessary funding.

FERNANDO PETRELLA (Argentina) said his country had signed the anti- personnel mines Convention and would contribute to solving the problem of landmines at the regional, local and international levels. In July 1995, at the international meeting on mine clearance in Geneva, Argentina offered to take on the costs of mine clearance in the Malvinas and had also played a part in various mine-clearing operations in Central America. At present it was also involved in setting up a mine-clearance course in Buenos Aires.

In Latin America and the Caribbean the dimensions of the problem caused by mines was completely different from the problem elsewhere, he continued. There were no longer major security problems in Latin America. Countries of the region, through individual and group actions and organizations such as the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and others, were focusing on integration, cooperation and contributing to global security.

In August, the Rio Group (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Honduras and Guyana) announced its commitment to implement the objective of the Convention and promised to work on all fronts to universalize those objectives, he said. The countries of the Rio Group had signed the anti-personnel mines Convention as a guarantee for the region and to reconfirm Latin America as a region of peace and understanding. His country was working with other countries of the region

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to make the continent the first on the planet free of anti-personnel mines. It was necessary to work towards a security system based on cooperation, trust and understanding. The alleviation of suffering should open the way for development. A true political commitment was needed to free people from the scourge of mines. He recommended adoption of the draft text without a vote.

RAVAN FARHADI (Afghanistan) said that, as far as landmine contamination was concerned, Afghanistan was the most densely afflicted in the world. Maiming and death would continue due to landmines long after the armed conflict was over. Landmines also constituted a great obstacle to the return of refugees and other displaced persons. His Government had decided to practically implement the main terms of the anti-personnel mines Convention, even if the Taliban continued to lay mines.

According to the Ottawa treaty, States parties would have four years to destroy existing stockpiles and 10 years to clear all anti-personnel mines from the ground, he said. That time limit, in Afghanistan's case, could only be observed if the volume and size of the mine-clearance programme was adequately broadened and enlarged. Afghanistan would sign the treaty in the future after studying the practical modalities of its implementation.

He said that countries that had produced anti-personnel landmines, and used them in their armed interventions in other countries, as well as those that had sold or transmitted them to the warring factions in Asia, Africa and Latin America, today bore an historical responsibility in compensating for their past deeds. They must massively contribute to the mine-clearance campaigns of victim-countries and to the assistance for the treatment of those mutilated by mines. That point had to be included in the texts of all documents concerning mine clearance. He added that it was a shame that those highly developed countries who boasted about the progress of their technology had done nothing really effective in the technology for detection of the "mainly plastic" mines.

MOHAMED E. MATRI (Libya) said the Secretary-General's report was disappointing in many ways, because it was limited to countries suffering from domestic conflicts. The framework should be more complete to include old mines in areas of old wars. His country suffered from landmines that had been laid in the Second World War. Studies showed they numbered into the millions in North Africa, where the number of landmine accident victims was extremely high. Another study showed that, during the 30 years after the war, those mines left behind killed more than 4,000 Libyans. That hindered the development of national resources and the fight against desertification. Some 27 per cent of Libyan territory was affected by mines, hindering oil exploration and mining activities.

His Government had established several public awareness and mine- clearance training programmes, but had limited expertise, he said. Worse, the combatants of the Second World War had left no information on where mines had

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been laid, which had resulted in accidents even to this day. Thus, Libya welcomed all forms of assistance from the United Nations to help in mine clearance. A series of resolutions had said responsibility for removal of mines fell upon those who had laid them. They should also be responsible for compensation of the victims. The Governments of Italy and Germany had provided information on mines, even though it was insufficient, and he appealed to other countries that had laid mines on Libya's territory to give assistance to discovering and destroying them.

PETER RIDER (New Zealand) said that developing indigenous mine-clearance capacities in countries plagued by landmines was a vital element of post- conflict reconstruction efforts. However, the development of national demining capabilities did not detract from the valuable role played by the United Nations in international clearance work. The United Nations had an essential role in coordinating mine-clearance work across the globe and was, for many countries, a port of first call before the establishment of national programmes and the mobilization of non-governmental organizations' resources.

For that reason, his Government had been in the forefront of calls for greater rationalization of the work of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the other United Nations agencies responsible for mine clearance, he continued. The Secretary- General's decision to entrust the Department of Peacekeeping Operations with overall responsibility for United Nations demining efforts provided a timely opportunity to put in place structures and a mode of operation that met both the needs of operational demining in the context of peacekeeping operations and the hugely greater challenge of humanitarian demining.

He said that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations was well placed to carry out a number of core functions in support of humanitarian demining, in addition to its operational responsibilities. Maintenance and expansion of the landmine database to determine the scope of the problem was one such function. Others included evaluation of new demining technologies and the provision of quality control in mine-clearance activities. But the real work -- removing landmines, increasing mine awareness and developing indigenous capacities -- would be carried out by other United Nations agencies, mainly the UNDP and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), drawing from the Voluntary Trust Fund.

MANOP MEKPRAYOONTHONG (Thailand) said his country did not produce or export landmines and had signed the Convention to ban them. However, mine clearance and humanitarian assistance to victims were also part of the problem and should be included in international efforts. Thailand was severely affected by the landmines laid along its border with Cambodia and had made progress clearing them. It planned to contribute mine-clearance units and teams to United Nations peacekeeping operations and clear all mines along the border within the next three years. It needed, however, technical and financial help from the international community to achieve that goal.

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His country had limited resources and needed contributions from the international community, he said. All those who manufactured, exported and earned profits from landmines had a special responsibility to bear at least most of the costs of financial and technical aid to mine-affected countries, rehabilitation programmes and humanitarian assistance to the victims and their families. He welcomed the creation of the Voluntary Trust Fund and urged all who were in a position to do so to contribute as much as they could.

There were more than 60 major mine-affected countries, but United Nations landmine programmes existed in only 11, he said. The Secretary- General had proposed discontinuing the Department of Humanitarian Affairs in its present form and transferring mine-clearance activities to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Long-term mine-clearance programmes with humanitarian or rehabilitation elements were distinctly different from operational demining activities. Humanitarian mine-clearance policies, practices and activities established by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs should remain unaffected by the United Nations reform proposal.

MAJID TAKHT-RAVANCHI (Iran) said the current situation with regard to landmines was disastrous. The lack of improved mine detection and clearance technology, together with the ever-increasing numbers of landmines being laid annually worldwide, made the efforts of the international community to address the global mines crisis tenacious and painstaking. Over the past nine years, Iran had embarked on massive mine-clearance operations, to enable civilians displaced by war to return to their homes and resume normal life. By manual demining methods and without access to any record documentation, it had destroyed a significant number of mines and unexploded devices laid in its territory. It must be stressed, however, that mines had taken a huge part of Iran's agricultural lands out of production and rendered them uninhabitable. The innocent civilians in those regions, who were occasionally killed or maimed, placed a significant burden upon society.

He said much more needed to be done both within the United Nations system and in the international community at large in mine-action programmes. Iran considered that mine-clearance activities should be consistent with the provisions of the Organization's Charter, in particular the principles of respect for the sovereignty of States, their territorial integrity; non-interference in the internal affairs of States, as well as sovereign equality of all States. He said serious attempts should be made to improve mine-clearance technology and to transfer newer technology to developing countries. The United Nations should act as a focal point for planning and coordination of research on improved mine-clearance technology, as well as on the transfer of technology for mine clearance. The Organization should be empowered to ensure that no restrictions were applied that would hinder or impede access to mine-clearance technology. It should also have the necessary financial means to fulfil that task.

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NESTOR HERNANDO PARRA (Colombia) said his country was committed to all causes of humanitarian law and had suffered with its own flesh the effects of the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel landmines. The number of landmines sold had increased on a yearly basis. The death and injury caused by landmines primarily affected innocent civilian populations, particularly rural women and children who had no active part in the conflicts. The great cost in the detection and destruction of anti-personnel landmines was a matter of concern, as was the difficulty of returning rural and urban areas back into economically viable condition. Provision of information and education to adults and children on how to survive booby-trapped areas was also important.

He said Colombia supported the principles outlined in the Ottawa Convention and hoped to ratify it when it had fulfilled its domestic legal steps. The major effort remained with the countries that produced and traded anti-personnel mines. The need to reject such weapons was the greater because they were not aimed at specific material or human objectives. They were indiscriminate when it came to their victims, producing prolonged effects. The draft resolution before the Assembly carried a message to the Powers who made their domestic difficulties the reason for not signing the Ottawa Convention. They should overcome those difficulties, sign the Convention and abide by its principles.

ALEXANDRE S. GORELIK (Russian Federation) said that more than 100,000 explosive devices were discovered and destroyed annually in the territory of the Russian Federation, requiring more than $25 million a year. His country supported gradual progress towards a ban of anti-personnel mines, within a time-frame that allowed for the development of viable defensive alternatives. It was especially important to implement the second Protocol to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects (Convention on certain Conventional Weapons). That balanced measure took into account their real capabilities, security and self-defence interests.

International cooperation in mine clearance was a significant aspect of post-conflict settlement, he said. Moratoriums on the export of anit- personnel landmines were among other short-term priorities. A few days ago, the Russian Federation extended for five years the moratorium on the export of non-self-destroying and non-detectable anti-personnel landmines. Convinced of the urgency of mine clearance in regional conflict zones, he hoped that the Voluntary Trust Fund established by the United Nations would acquire the resources needed to finance research and training programmes, as well as mine awareness programmes.

The landmine problem was especially acute in the context of United Nations peacekeeping operations, he continued. The mine threat in Tajikistan and Abkhazia, Georgia, for example, had serious humanitarian consequences and adversely affected United Nations missions deployed there. He supported

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measures undertaken by the Secretary-General to address the landmine problem in those two areas and was willing to contribute further, within existing resources. The mine threat had also prevented, on a number of occasions, the full-scale operations of humanitarian missions. His Government was ready to intensify its participation in providing mine clearance to countries in need of such operations, in either a bilateral or multilateral basis, as it had accumulated significant expertise.

ABDUL WAHAB (Pakistan) said the international community was now more aware of the magnitude and problems posed by uncleared mines and United Nations efforts in raising public awareness about the issue was greatly appreciated. He agreed with the Secretary-General's observation that, despite advances, technological developments had been wanting in their ability to benefit mine action. Member States involved in research and development should increase their efforts to achieve necessary breakthroughs in a coordinated and transparent manner.

He said the international community needed to mount a reinvigorated programme to eliminate an estimated 100 million landmines, which killed 25,000 people annually. Given the estimated $300 to $1,000 cost for removing a single landmine, a global demining campaign would require more than token resources. Unfortunately, there had been a steady decline in donations to the Voluntary Trust Fund.

The removal of landmines was a prerequisite for a country's rehabilitation, reconstruction and return to normal life, he continued. He hoped the international community would respond generously to the Secretary- General's appeal for assistance to Afghanistan. Pakistan had treated and provided rehabilitation to thousands of Afghan refugees who had been maimed by mines. At the same time, the question of mine clearance needed to be differentiated from that of controlling their use, which raised arms control and disarmament issues and should be dealt with in the Conference on Disarmament. Humanitarian problems resulting from the indiscriminate use oflandmines would not be alleviated unless the international community addressed important issues. Adequate steps were needed to secure the widest possible adherence to the revised Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

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